Albertans will vote on Oct. 18 in a provincial referendum on equalization. Opponents of the referendum have cast it as both needlessly divisive and a distraction from the larger issue of the province’s transition away from the fossil fuel industry. It is neither. In fact, it should be the starting point to a much broader national dialogue on the financial flow between provinces and the federal government—a flow in desperate need of repair and rebalancing.
As with most significant changes, the first step is the hardest part. Alberta must force the other provinces and Ottawa to come to the table and negotiate a new fiscal arrangement.
As University of Calgary professor emeritus Rainer Knopff recently
